Tomorrow
by Nalana
Summary: She never thought it wouldn't feel right. Directly after "Nesting Dolls". One-Shot. (written when I had a free period.)


Disclaimer: Do you REALLY think I own them? Come on.

A/N: The 2nd chapter to "So Cold" is coming along, but, my com died, so it might be a few more days. Sorry.

She couldn't open her eyes. If she let her lids slid open, she'd have to face reality. And that was something she couldn't do. She couldn't let her heart break just yet.

Instead of rising, she lay there motionless. Consciously she felt the give of the mattress beneath her. It usually dented slightly with it's sole irritant. Now, its strings gasped with surprise as another weight shifted on them.

She let the dead weight of the arm around her waist lay there. She allowed herself to listen to the soft breathing behind her. She felt the short wisps of air pass her "baby hair" to tickle the base of her neck.

Sara could only stay like this for so long. Slowly, reluctantly, she slid open her eyelids to stare at the bland wallpaper directly in front of her. Like that she remained, her eyes adjusting to the light. It was nearly sun down.

When the arm fell from it's protective position, she rolled carefully out of bed. The other figure didn't seem to mind. Only a small grumble trickled out from the mattress' sole occupant's dreams.

Ignoring the grainy feeling of carpeting, Sara waddled over to the sink of the near-by bathroom. With a squeak the hot water nozzle turned, releasing a small flood of water over her waiting hand. She felt dirty. This wasn't working.

With a sigh she turned to the bathtub. As silently as possible she drew the curtain and pulled up the pin to turn on the shower. She heard the figure shifting in the other room, causing her to flinch.

Stepping under the stream of steam, she let her shoulder loose. Her hands blindly flailed around the shower for the slab of ivory soap. When they finally rested on it, she clutched it like a pearl before beginning the assault on her skin.

Sara couldn't seem to scrub herself hard enough. It was like she was lathered with an invisible layer of grunge and dirt that would not dissipate. Still she lathered the bar's ingredients across her body in an attempt to sterilize herself.

_How did this happen?_ Her mind screamed. She had never thought it would fell wrong.

"After all these years…" She whispered under her breath, her eyes falling to her red toes. Her thoughts wandered again to the man who was slumbering two rooms away.

Her supervisor, Gil Grissom, had shown up earlier in the day to tell her of her pending dismissal. In a moment of bravery she had spilled to him what she hadn't told anyone for a long time.

Even as an adult, she was always afraid that if she told someone, she would become that little girl again. She would be 'the girl whose father was stabbed to death' again. Except now she would have been the 'woman who's instable because of a pity story.' She wasn't sure which one was worse.

Grissom had comforted her until it was time for him to head back for his shift. When he left, she had fallen asleep. Exhaustion finally had cornered her. She had rested until a soft tapping at the door awoke her.

Once again Grissom stood at her door. The first time had been the visit of a friend, mandatory under the circumstances. But couldn't he have just mailed her the pink slip?

He quickly moved into an explanation that when he went to confront Eckle, he had decided that she was too valuable to loose. Besides, she had a completely valid reason to be upset. And since she had already been talking to a shrink under orders, there was no other 'punishment' he could give her other then to ask her to try to just step away when things got hairy.

Speechless she had just stood there nodding, thankful, for quite a while. He didn't withdraw back towards the stairs or asked to come in. Eventually, she had found her ability to speak again and offered for him to come back in. From there, this became more complicated…

"Sara?" She froze as she realized that her partner had wakened up and come into the room, drawn by the sound of water.

For one of the few times, Sara was at a lost of words. Her stomach churned. She had spent many nights dreaming of a situation like this, but reality is often rougher then we picture.

"Griss…" She choked as he rest his fingers on the edge of the cheap curtain. "Please…just… this…"

She felt a hand snake in towards her shoulder. Looking out of the corner of her eyes she saw that he had pushed back the material just enough so that he could look in at her face. Guilt now rippled through her. .

"This was wrong, Grissom… It shouldn't have happened. Not… like that."

The hand on her shoulder moved to slick her hair back gingerly. She turned her head completely towards him. His eyes were dark with regret. It was almost like she had just…hurt him?

"I'm sorry, Sara." He removed his hand, and turned away.

It wasn't until she heard her door close that she sank down in the mock-porcelain tub. Her shoulders shook. For the second time in those twenty-four hours she started crying.

Catherine Willows had been driving around aimlessly for about an hour. She knew what she had to do, but she didn't like it. Sara had been out of line. And she wasn't too happy that her once teammate had exploded on her with something that was completely unfair. At the same time, she hadn't liked to look on Grissom's face after Eckle had left the room.

With a deep breath, she headed towards Sara's apartment. It was where she had been avoiding. When she came close, she could have sworn she saw Grissom's vehicle rush out of the parking lot, and speed away.

Uhh…Maybe I shouldn't. She thought for not the first time that evening. But instinct made her continue.

When she made her way up to Sara's floor, she frowned. The door was still slightly open. She knew that her friend wasn't the type of person to be that careless.

"Sara?" She called, cautiously opening the door. The apartment was dead silent, with the exception of the sound of rushing water. Stepping further into the apartment, she saw that steam was bellowing out from beneath the bathroom door. With a short sense of panic, she rushed towards the washroom.

Opening the barrier, she had to step back as the clouds found her. When they cleared, she could see Sara's back slowly rocking back and forth. She could see that the woman was shaking, despite the intense heat. It hit her, she was crying.

"Whoa… Sara! Sara, you gotta turn that water off, your going to get burned!" She yelled.

When the younger woman didn't respond she reluctantly stepped forward and turned the hot water off. Looking down, she saw that Sara was looking up at her like a lost child. Her eyes were wide and puffy, her skin beet red.

"Honey… What happened?" Catherine frowned deeply, grabbing a nearby towel, and patting it on the crying woman's hair.

"C-C-Cath, I-I'm s-s-sorry. I didn't …didn't mean to upset you…You-You shouldn't have to do this." She sniffled, still unable to move or take the towel from her.

Catherine placed the fluffy white cloth in Sara's hands and turned around looking for a bathrobe. When she finally found one on the backside of the bathroom door she ushered Sara to stand up as she wrapped it around her. She was concerned.

"Sara, it's okay. It's forgotten. But, you have to work with me here. What the hell happened? Did someone get in here…" She went on the defensive.

Catherine couldn't get an answer until she got Sara out into the kitchen, down to the table, and with a cup of tea in her hand. The moment after she seemed to snap back to life, a more formal apology split out of the younger CSI's mouth. Catherine sat in shock when Sara choked out the story of her past again.

"Wow… Wow…I… I don't know what to say…" She whispered, glancing down at her lap. "I had no idea." When she looked back up, she saw that Sara was staring at the doorway.

Catherine looked at the direction to see her old boss standing there, watching both of them. Blinking several times, she looked back and forth between the two before a light bulb snapped on. Like a feline she slinked back away form the table.

"Well, Sara, I…uh… see you have company now…so, I'll be seeing you. And, uh… no more showers for a while, 'kay?"

"Kay." She heard a reply drift somewhere.

When she arrived in her car, Catherine burst out laughing. Sara's story wasn't a laughing matter. But to see Grissom's jaw half slack, his eyes as beady as one of his bugs, was hilarious.

"Okay, you two. Good luck with that." She chuckled as she headed home.

Grissom watched wordlessly as Catherine fled out the door._ Does she know? Oh god, look at her. She's so tense. Why did I leave her like that? She hasn't had the easiest of days._ Thoughts flew through his head.

"Why did you come back?" Her voice finally broke his train of thought.

He watched her. He noted how she nervously pushed back her still damp hair. He gulped as she stood back from the table and walked over to him. Gilbert Grissom was paralyzed until she was directly in front of him.

"Because it wasn't wrong." He whispered. "I thought I would be comforting you. I thought I could chase your worries away. But I couldn't. I just made them worse. I haven't done anything but hurt you. And I'm sorry."

Sara shook her head before burring it into his shoulder. He wrapped his arms around her, just holding her there. This is what I should have done. This would have been sufficient.

"You did comfort me, Griss. I'm sorry. Thank you." She whispered.

When he went to pull away, she clung. "I spent too many years wanting you to hold me like you just did. Please. Stay. Just a little longer…"

Grissom tensed. "Sara. Eckle's watching both of us like a hawk. I can't defend you very much… You know this we can't do this. Not right now.

"I know." She wouldn't let him go. "Let me wake up tomorrow. Just until tomorrow."

"Okay."


End file.
